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Getting Started
When it comes to modding there are a few basic things to understand especially if this is your first experience being some sort of community leader. Being a mod makes you an extension of the streamer and an important member in the community. The roles of moderators span different roles such as mediator, enforcer, and peacekeeper but they all have core ideas they draw from. What a Moderator Is The very first thing to understand when given this privilege is that you are an extension of the streamer whose chat you moderate. The shiny green sword (or wrench if you are on YouTube) is more than just a cosmetic item, it is a status symbol. It says to the viewers “I’m in charge if you need help come to me.” That being said, it is the best practice to be a friendly, helpful, yet stern assistant. A streamer with a negative or out of control mod team may drive many viewers away, and to grow a flourishing community you need people. It is important to understand that the way you and the streamer act will determine the demographics of chat. You do not want to breed a negative community. Think of it this way: you are a leader, act in a way you want the community to follow, because they will. Also keep in mind that while you do play a big part in streams, ultimately the stream is the streamers. You have to follow their personal guidelines and what they say goes in the end of the day. This does not mean you can’t suggest other ideas or contest some, but if they are adamant about something you don’t feel comfortable with, that stream may not be the place for you. Getting to Know Your Streamer To be an effective help to your streamer, you need to understand their rules, wants, and needs when it comes to their chat as well as their stream. It is highly suggested that if you are a mod fresh on the team to meet with the other moderators and your streamer to have a conversation to learn these things. Being a mod for someone is a relationship, just like being a friend or more. You need to understand each other and find the best ways to combat the problems you will face together. Not only this but you may have a team of mods with you especially if the streamer is of a larger size which you should get to know, make friends with and learn to work well together. Communication is your friend. For example, some rules that some streamers may have in place, are like trying to keep chats PG or PG13. Streamers like Direwolf20 want to keep their streams PG as they want to provide a learning and growing environment for younger people. Then there are people like The8BitDrummer who likes to keep his chat PG13 and doesn’t swear very much if at all and doesn’t play any music on his stream with swear words in it. Understanding Your Limits It is important to remember, especially when you feel overwhelmed, you are still human. (Unless you are Automod reading this, in which I ask…. how?) You have your own needs, life, and it is okay to not always be there for the stream. Something many of us have learned the hard way is that you need to take breaks. You should have at least one or two teammates to work with which you can schedule times to relax. Again, Communication is key in these situations, because being open with your team and streamer helps you not overload yourself. It gets hard to really remember that this is not a job in which you need to focus your life on especially when you are new into moderating chats. This applies not only because many of you may be in school or have a job, but you need to know that there isn’t much money in moderating if any at all. Some streamers who are at the top may have full-time mods, people who they trust to keep their chats controlled when they have hundreds if not thousands of viewers, but this is not the normal case. This being said, sometimes moderating feels like it's looked at as a thankless job. It is important to remember that not only are you getting very useful experience in the world of dealing with people, but you are also helping what should hopefully be a friend grow and bring you along with them. Don’t let people dissuade you from continuing your work being a leader in the community. Think of it as a symbiotic relationship, (we will dive more into this topic in the Networking section of this site). If in the end, you find out that moderating isn’t really for you, there is nothing wrong in expressing that feeling, and “retiring” if you feel it is necessary. Your Mentality When getting into moderating it is good to reflect on your personal value and habits. Learn who you are when it comes to handling situations and people. Sit down and think about, or better yet, write down YOUR standards for who you want to be, how you want to hold yourself and understand your personal ethics. Make sure that when looking into who you want to be that your streamer fits in who you want to be if you have to act in a way you find that makes you uncomfortable make sure to express your feelings. You will always need to grow and adapt for any job you do, but you also need to understand that you also have limits. If the streamers someone mods forever told them to troll or make fun of someone, or went too far themselves in doing it, might be worth sitting down and re-evaluating if that streamer is the right fit for them. You need to be able and willing to accept proper criticisms as well. People grow when they are given criticism, especially when they listen and fix their faults. However, you must learn the difference between constructive criticism and just negative comments. Constructive criticism is given to help you learn and grow to fix something you may have done wrong and should be accompanied by suggestions and examples, whereas negative comments are just said to put you down. Some users may claim things such as favoritism, while others will provide actual criticisms on how things in chat may be handled. You should always make sure to hear people out unless they are just complaining to complain. There is a good quote by an American politician and lawyer from the late 1800s that explains constructive criticism well: "Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." - Frank A. Clark However, if you find yourself bogged down by people who just like to sling negative comments towards you, it is best to listen to see if there is something they aren’t saying that needs to be tended to. They may just be trying to bring you down, but there also might be a reason they are upset, and in a way, you will be able to find constructive criticisms in negativity. For instance, if people keep getting away with a certain behavior that may fly under the radar that also allows others to act the same way in a more upfront manner, there is an underlying issue. Also if multiple people come at you or the streamer with the same negative comments about the community or the streamer themselves (not including just trolling or things based on the streamer’s demographic) it should be worth trying to understand what is going on. Through this as well it is good to have a thick skin, and not let the negativity of others really bring you down. This is the internet we are talking about, the place where people feel safe to treat others like dirt since there is this anonymity you can hide behind. If someone is just trying to cause trouble, time them out, if they come back and continue to do it many streamers and mods would find this the time when a ban is in order. Lastly, do remember to stay humble. This goes for anyone, big or small, you all started in the same place and should remember everyone is human. Some people get big heads when they get big (especially if it grows quickly) and they sometimes lose sight of how they got there and may lose who they are and want to be. It is easy to feel above others when you are in any place of power, but always remember, you are just a viewer like everyone else, you just are holding the responsibility of making sure chat stays in one piece. Category:Pages